Senior, I've Come to Visit - Chapter 3

“Can I ask what kind of research it is?”

“…It’s a secret.”

Ahaha, Nardi laughed brightly.

“I’m curious, but I won’t pry. Senior Eloise, you’re really mysterious, you know?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

I had no idea what was supposed to be mysterious about me. Other than this research, I didn’t have anything to hide. If anything was mysterious… it was Nardi right in front of my eyes.

Nardi Gracian.

One year younger than me, he’d been a year behind me at the Academy in the past, and was now also one year behind me at the Magic Tower. Nardi wasn’t an ordinary wizard. He possessed one of the most formidable magical powers in the entire kingdom, and he was the sole heir of House Gracian, a ducal family.

House Gracian was one of the founding noble families and had consistently produced exceptional wizards for generations. The wizards of the family developed countless magical tools and amassed tremendous wealth through that business, and the Duke of Gracian, the head of the family, simultaneously served as the chairman of the Wizards’ Association.

When I was young and poor, whenever I read magic books that I’d barely managed to buy, most of the authors were people from House Gracian, so I’d known about the family since then.

When I became a second-year at the Academy, Nardi entered as a first-year and caused a stir at the entrance ceremony just by existing. I also had to attend that event as one of the second-year representatives welcoming the new students, and I remembered the gazes and comments directed at him.

“That’s Nardi Gracian, apparently.”

“He’s really tall.”

“Considering he’ll probably end up at the Magic Tower later, I should stay on his good side.”

He must’ve already known many people, because Nardi greeted several others comfortably. It was the first day of the Academy, yet he seemed relaxed and unbothered.

Naturally, it reminded me of my own entrance ceremony. A commoner wizard frozen stiff, terrified of making even the smallest mistake.

After that, in Academy life, Nardi seemed quiet and unproblematic. Aside from his background, his presence, and his eye-catching looks, he wasn’t any different from other students. And since I wasn’t close to my classmates, there was no reason I’d end up close to Nardi, who was in a different year.

Unexpectedly, we became close when he graduated from the Academy late last year and joined the Magic Tower’s Research Wing at the beginning of this year, specifically our team in the Magic Potion Development Department.

Contrary to my worries that he’d be difficult to deal with, Nardi was a polite and cheerful junior. So even someone like me, who had no talent for getting close to others, found it easy to get along with him.

My childhood memories were strong; the name Gracian printed on the covers of the magic books I’d cherished was enough to make Nardi feel mysterious to me. Experiencing his magical power and talent firsthand at work was impressive, too. At the Academy, I’d sensed arrogance and entitlement from some noble classmates, but never from him. In many ways, Nardi was a mysterious person.

“…If you look at me like that, I’ll get a little embarrassed.”

He was amusing too.

“Alright, I won’t look.”

As soon as I turned my gaze away, Nardi hurriedly said, “No, I didn’t mean I hated it.”

How funny. Just a moment ago, he was the one sounding embarrassed.

Regardless, I fixed my eyes on the neatly sliced apple and picked up a piece with my fork. Eating lots of fresh fruit cleared my mind a little, but only briefly.

My chest throbbed— milk was coming in, my flesh was swelling and heavy. Heat radiated through my entire body. When I checked my temperature by touching my forehead, it was abnormally hot.

“Are you dizzy? You should lie down and rest, Senior!”

“I probably should.”

I slowly stood and walked. Nardi, who had apparently used magic to clean up quickly, followed a moment behind.

“…?”

On the way to my bedroom, I parted my lips, slightly flustered.

He’s following me all the way here?

Asking him if he wasn’t leaving felt awkward. My house was in a secluded part of the residential area on the outskirts of the capital, and he’d come all this way. Telling him to leave right away felt too abrupt.

While I hesitated, we already reached the bedroom. As I walked hesitantly through the open door, Nardi followed me inside as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Lie down quickly.”

Without even looking around my bedroom, he simply gestured toward the bed. If someone saw us, they’d think he was the homeowner and I was the guest; that’s how natural and practiced his attitude was. Still dazed, I crossed the small bedroom and reached the bed. The bedding, hurriedly thrown aside earlier when I rushed out at the sound of the doorbell, was in disarray like shed skin. I tidied the blankets, dragging out the moment.

What do I do…?

Standing in my pajamas before Nardi, whose physique was closer to a knight’s than a wizard’s and who was nearly two heads taller than me, made me want to hide under the blankets. But at the same time, I also wanted to lie down, so in the end I pushed the covers aside and quickly slipped under them. I pulled the blanket up to my neck, leaving only my face out. Nardi stood next to me, looking down at me with worry.

“….”

Soon, a large palm settled on my forehead. His touch even reached my temples, and my eyes closed reflexively.

“No matter how I look at it, this isn’t just a slight fever. Are you really not going to take medicine?”

“I’m not taking it.”

“Then should I use healing magic for you? Your body will feel much more comfortable.”

He looked ready to cast magic at any moment, so I shook my head in a hurry.

“No, don’t. You can’t use magic on me.”

Just like with magic potions, healing magic could affect the experiment’s results.

When testing a magic potion, you take only that magic. You have to maintain strict principles for accurate experimentation.

“…Why not?”

A look of confusion crept onto Nardi’s face.

“…I have my reasons. Fever reducers and healing magic aren’t an option for me right now. I’ll explain someday if there’s a chance.”

Of course, I had absolutely no intention of ever telling him.

“Understood. In that case… please wait just a moment.”

…What now?

Nardi left the bedroom and headed somewhere.

Focusing and listening carefully, I thought I heard water from the bathroom. A sudden worry pricked me. Did I clean up all the milk properly after hand-expressing earlier?

Even though I always checked one last time before coming out, there were times I missed spots and found them later. Milk traveled farther than expected; even if I expressed in the bathtub, it often splattered so far it landed on the sink, the mirror, or the bathroom wall.

What about the milk scent?

Enough time must’ve passed for it to dissipate, right?

I reassured myself that the bathroom always smelled nice because I kept soap there.

Just then, footsteps approached and Nardi came in. When I lifted my upper body a little, I saw a basin filled with water, along with two or three towels.

“….”

He used magic to pull a chair over to the bedside. Sitting down, he placed the basin on the nightstand and began making a wet towel. I was extremely flustered.

“If you wipe your body with a lukewarm wet towel, your fever will go down. This should be fine, right?”

From an experimental standpoint, it didn’t matter, but that didn’t mean it was fine.

“There’s no need for this, Nardi. You came to visit, not to nurse me.”

“Is there anyone else who’d come nurse you besides me?”

“….”

Iella couldn’t come because she was working, and I had no intention of even telling her I was sick in the first place.

“No, there isn’t. But as I said, I’ll get better if I rest. Don’t you need to go to the Magic Tower?”

“I took a day off. Your fever’s still high, and what if it gets worse? High fevers are dangerous, Senior.”

“What’s dangerous about it? It’s just a regular cold-body ache. I’ll sleep and get better, so you can go now.”

“I can’t leave you when you’re sick.”

“I told you it’s fine to go.”

“I can’t go.”

…Was he always this stubborn?

My head was spinning, and I didn’t have the strength to argue.

Defeated, I stayed silent and shut my eyes tightly. Maybe he took my silence as agreement, because I heard the sound of him wringing out a towel beside me. Water dripped into the basin.

Soon, the folded wet towel was placed on my forehead. I almost scoffed out of disbelief, but I didn’t move an inch and stayed still.